light up

phrasal verb

1

of a light : to become lit : to begin shining

All of the lights on the display suddenly lit up.

—often used figuratively to express interest or pleasure

His eyes/face lit up when she walked in the room.

2

informal, of a telephone : to show a light indicating that someone is calling

When the DJ announced a contest, the phones lit up.

3

informal : to light a cigarette

I can't wait to light up after work.

Examples of light up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The same brain regions involved in physical pain light up during emotional distress, such as social exclusion and loneliness, according to an fMRI study. —Kyra Dahring, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026

Whereas my brain scan was mostly black-and-white, the scans of people with alcohol-use disorder light up bright red in areas associated with motivation and cravings. —Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2026

In addition, the federal agency says Chrysler is calling back certain Mopar tow trailer modules that also have trailer tow modules with trailer lights that may not light up and trailer brakes that may fail. —February 5, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026

The Chaps didn’t light up the scoreboard themselves in the extra session, but Bo Ogden’s 3-pointer gave them the lead for good. —Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for light up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup